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Most households have a medicine drawer or cabinet filled with half-used or expired medication.
With school holidays around the corner and many children already spending their summer days at home, it is becoming increasingly important to make sure to keep medication stored out of reach in a way that is safe for your children, and the environment.
When it finally comes time to clean up our cluttered medicine cabinets, we usually throw them away without a second thought, or flush them down the toilet.
But what many people don't know is that this can have negative side effects both on human health and on the environment.
Also read: Sugary treats for children? More dangerous than you think
The dangers of medical waste
According to the Red Cross Children's Hospital, approximately 40% of calls to the Poisons Information Centre are connected to children under the age of five who have consumed harmful medications.
This is testament to the dangers that children face if they can gain access to possibly toxic expired medication.
In addition to the physical bodily harm expired medications can present for your kids, the improper disposal of expired medication can have an even greater impact on the environment.
For example, expired medication can end up in our water systems or on landfills where the medications can be harmful to plants, animals and the overall environment by emitting harmful gasses.
How do I safely dispose of medical waste?
If you wish to safely dispose of the medication in your household, you can purchase medical waste containers to dispose of expired medication.
The expired medications can be taken to a local pharmacy or certified medical waste facility.
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